Guard makes peace

Gleason, who has owned property in Guthrie Lakes for nearly 22 years, said there's been "community resentment" about guard activities property owners believed were too close to the subdivision.

Guthrie Lakes is located about five miles east of I-75 off the Waters exit and is adjacent to the guard's Range 40 Complex, a sprawling 7,600-acre range used for practicing air-to-ground bombing, heavy artillery and tank firing. Established in 1913 with a donation of 14,000 acres by Rasmus Hanson, a local lumber baron, Camp Grayling has grown over the years to include about 147,000 acres and is the largest Army National Guard training camp in the United States. Annually more than 12,000 guardsmen are trained at Camp Grayling.

Carl Lord, another property owner and association board member whose backyard ends where the national guard property begins, said Commander Hull and his command staff have taken positive steps to resolve most areas of concern that have been expressed by property owners. Lord, who is also an Otsego County commissioner, has been critical about guard practices in the past.

Advertisement

Lord said last year he was angered when a column of tanks and support vehicles, apparently lost in the woods, came driving down the two-track forest road at the edge of his property.

"They didn't need to be that close to Guthrie Lakes," Lord said.

Both Lord and Gleason said they approached Commander Hull last winter to see if he would be receptive to discussing issues of contention between the property owners and the guard and invited him to attend a property owners association meeting.

Hull not only accepted the invitation, but he brought many of his support staff with him and listened to the property owners concerns that were in three areas:

* Risk to public safety,

* Noise,

* Environment.

Commander Dennis Hull said he was assigned as commander a year ago in January. Hull attributed his success in forging a new relationship with area residents by "just maybe looking at old problems through a new set of eyes."

Hull said after assessing the problems he was "able to take an active role in listening to community needs and concerns before decision what positive things could be done. Basically that's been my approach.

"We're just delighted in the guard's professionalism and their leadership's response to our concerns," Gleason said. "We know the guard has a mission to provide training and we didn't challenge that. But the guard also has a responsibility to be a good neighbor and Commander Hull deserves credit for being a good neighbor," he said.

John Hunt, environmental manager for Camp Grayling, said the guard command always wants to be a good neighbor. Numerous signs and barricades were recently installed at the edge of Guthrie Lakes that prohibit military traffic from driving on the forest roads that are closest to the subdivision.

Additional signs along Marlette Road near the entrance of Guthrie Lakes prohibits military traffic from stopping, standing or parking along the roadway.

Lord said military units would stop along the road near the entrance to form convoys, which in turn created congested traffic for the residents. "It was just a big annoyance," he said.

Hunt said the signs that have been erected there were a simple solution to that problem. The guard also now conducts environmental impact classes for unit leaders, who must attend 16 hours of classroom instruction, before they are deployed to the field.

In the classes, Hunt said, the unit leaders are briefed about where residences are located and areas where military operations should avoid in order to be a good neighbor.

Hunt said the guard has an interest operating in a way that is sensitive to the environment. As an example of this sensitivity he pointed out that fuel tanker trucks carry with them spill containment devices. The trucks drive onto the containment tank so that if there is a spill it not go onto the ground, Hunt said.

"The guard has learned it is far better to prevent fuel spills instead of having

Gleason said the guard has also agreed to follow the state Dept. of Natural Resources bans on burning when weather conditions are dry.

Two summers ago a range fire at the Range 40 complex nearly got out of hand, burning about 4,000 acres before it was brought under control near the edge of the subdivision.

Hunt said the guard now attempts to do "pre-burns" on the bombing range to reduce the fuel available for fires.

Several years ago a bomb fell within feet of a home and parts of the bomb ripped through the residence. Fortunately the residents were at the movies at the time or there could have been some serious injuries, Lord said.

Both Lord and Gleason said maps given to guard units did not show Guthrie Lakes as being a population center. As a result of their discussion with the guard new maps are being developed that more accurately show the homes and locations at the edge of the Range 40 Complex.

Presently there about 260 homes at Guthrie Lakes.

Gleason said Rep. Ken Bradstreet has also been helpful in meetings with guard command staff.

Gleason and Lord said in addition to the positive actions by the guard there also seems to be a new attitude and desire by the guard to be a good neighbor.

"If something happens I know I can call and be in touch with Commander Hull," Lord said.